This organization matches volunteer English teachers and conversation partners with Ukrainians affected by the war: https://www.teachersforukraine.org/
The site also has a good list of self-study materials for any students. Although it doesn't have computer assisted learning apps like Duolingo or Babbel, which can be very useful for beginners and pre-intermediate students.
By Philip K. Dick, 1954
Adapted for intermediate level
IT WAS A BRIGHT MORNING. The sun was shining on the wet grass,
sidewalks, and shiny parked cars.
The Clerk came walking hurriedly, looking at the pages of his
instructions with a serious face. He stopped in front of the small green house
for a moment, and then turned on to the path, entering the back yard.
The dog was asleep inside his shed, his back turned to the world. Only his big tail showed.
"Hey!" the Clerk said. He hit his pen noisily
against the shed. "Wake up."
The dog moved. He came slowly out of his shed, head first.
He had just woken up, and with a tired face he looked at the clerk. "Oh,
it's you. Already?"
"Big things." The Clerk ran his expert finger down
the page of instructions. "They're adjusting
Sector T137 this morning. Starting at exactly nine o'clock." He look at
his watch. "Three hour alteration.
It will finish by noon."
"T137? That's not far from here."
“Of course!” the clerk said ” Why do you think I’m here? I
didn’t come to wish you good morning”.
"Our Sector is connected with T137."
"Exactly. Elements from this sector must be used. We
must make sure they're properly placed when adjustment begins." The Clerk
looked toward the small green house. "Your particular task relates to the
man in there. He works for business in Sector T137. He has to be at work before
nine o'clock.
The dog looked the house. The kitchen light was on. Inside, dark forms
could be seen, moving around the table. A man and woman. They were drinking
coffee.
"There they are," the dog said softly. "The
man, you say? He's not going to be harmed, is he?"
"Of course not. But he must be at his office early.
Usually he doesn't leave until after nine. Today he must leave at eight-thirty.
He must be within Sector T137 before the process begins, or he won't be altered
for the new adjustment."
The dog said sadly, "That means I have to call him."
"Correct." The Clerk checked his instructions.
"You're to call him at precisely
eight-fifteen. You've got that? Eight-fifteen. No later."
"What will an eight-fifteen calling bring?"
The Clerk opened his instruction book, reading the codes.
"It will bring A Friend with a Car. To drive him to work early." He
closed the book, and prepared to wait. "That way he'll get to his office
almost an hour early. Which is essential."
"Essential," the dog said softly. He lay down, inside
his shed. His eyes closed. "essential."
"Wake up! This must be done exactly on time. If you
call too soon or too late—"
The dog said sleepily. "I know. I'll do it right. I
always do it right."
Ed Fletcher poured more cream in his coffee. He sighed,
sitting back in his chair. He could smell the warm bread for breakfast. The
yellow light above shined down.
"More bread?" Ruth asked.
"I'm full." Ed drank his coffee. "You can
have it."
"I got to go." Ruth got to her feet, starting to
undress. "Time to go to work."
"Already?"
"Sure. You’re lucky! I wish I could sit around."
Ruth moved toward the bathroom, touching her long black hair. "When you work
for the government you start early."
"But you get to leave early," Ed said. He looked
at the newspaper, examining the sports section. "Well, have a good time
today. Don't type any wrong words."
The bathroom door closed, as Ruth began dressing.
Ed looked up at the clock. Plenty of time. Not even eight.
He drank more coffee and then touched his chin. He would have to shave. It
would take ten minutes, maybe.
Ruth came out of the bathroom and hurried into the bedroom.
"I'm late." She rushed rapidly
around, getting into her blouse and skirt, her little white shoes. Finally she
kissed him. "Goodbye, honey. I'll do the shopping tonight."
"Goodbye." Ed lowered his newspaper and put his arm
around his wife, hugging her
lovingly. "You smell nice. Don't flirt with the boss."
Ruth ran out the front door, walking down the steps. He
heard her loud footsteps go down the sidewalk.
She was gone. The house was silent. He was alone.
Ed got up, moving his chair back. He walked lazily into the
bathroom and got his razor. Eight-ten. He washed his face, and began to shave.
He shaved slowly. He had plenty of
time.
The Clerk looked at his watch nervously. Sweat was on his head.
Eight-fourteen. Almost time.
"Get ready!" the Clerk yelled. "Ten seconds
to go!"
"It’s time!" the Clerk cried.
Nothing happened.
The Clerk turned, eyes filled with horror. In the little
shed, the dog had gone back to sleep.
"TIME!" the Clerk screamed. He kicked wildly at
the dog. "In the name of God—"
The dog moved. He went out of the shed. "My goodness."
Embarrassed, he went quickly to the fence. He opened his mouth wide.
"Woof!" he called. He looked embarrassed at the Clerk. "I beg your pardon. I can't understand
how—"
The Clerk stared down at his watch. Cold terror hit his
stomach. The watch showed eight-sixteen. "You failed," he said.
"You failed! You miserable old dog! You failed!"
The dog looked down and came nervously back. "I failed,
you say? You mean the call time was—?"
"You called too late." The Clerk put his watch
away slowly. "You called too late. We won't get A Friend with a Car. We
don’t know what will come instead. I'm afraid to see what eight-sixteen
brings."
"I hope he'll be in Sector T137 in time."
"He won't," the Clerk cried. "He won't be
there. We've made a mistake. We've made things go wrong!"
Ed was finishing shaving his face when the sound of the
dog's bark went through the silent
house.
"Damn," Ed thought. "Wake up the whole
block." He dried his face, listening. Was somebody coming?
A sound. Then—
The doorbell rang.
Ed came out of the bathroom. Who could it be? Had Ruth
forgotten something? He put on a white shirt and opened the front door.
A young man, simple face and energetic, looked at him with a
smile. "Good morning, sir. I'm sorry to bother you so early—"
"What do you want?"
"I'm from the Federal Life Insurance Company. I'm here to see you about—"
Ed pushed the door closed. "I don't want any. I'm in a
rush. Have to get to work."
"Your wife said this was the only time I could catch
you." The young man picked up his briefcase, trying to come through the
door open again. "She especially asked me to come this early. We don't
usually begin our work at this time, but since she asked me, I made a special
note about it"
"Okay." Ed said tiredly, as he let in the young
man. "You can explain your insurance policy while I get dressed."
The young man opened his briefcase on the couch, laying out
heaps of papers and illustrated folders. "I'd like to show you some of
these, if I may. It's of great importance to you and your family to—"
Ed sat down, looking over the documents. He bought a
ten-thousand-dollar life insurance policy, and the young man left. He looked at
the clock. Almost nine-thirty!
"Damn." He'd be late to work. He finished tying
his tie, grabbed his coat, turned off the oven and the lights, put the dishes
in the sink, and ran outside.
As he hurried toward the bus stop he was cursing inwardly.
Life insurance salesmen. Why did the jerk have to come just as he was getting
ready to leave?
Ed was upset. No telling what the consequences would be, getting to the office late. He wouldn't get
there until almost ten. He prepared himself. A feeling told him he was in for
trouble. Something bad. It was the wrong day to be late.
If only the salesman hadn't come.
Ed jumped off the bus a block from his office. He began
walking rapidly. The huge clock in
front of Stein's Jewelry Store told him it was almost ten.
His heart sank. His boss, old Douglas, would definitely be
angry with him. He could see it now. Douglas, yelling and red-faced, waving his
big finger at him; Miss Evans, smiling behind her desk; Jack, the office boy,
smiling and laughing to himself, and the other staff. All of them, joking with
him the rest of the day.
He came to the corner and stopped for the light. On the
other side of the street was the big white concrete building, a tower of steel,
cement, and glass windows—the office building. Maybe he could say the elevator
broke. Somewhere between the second and third floor.
The street light changed. Nobody else was crossing. Ed
crossed alone. He jumped up on the curb
on the far side—
And stopped, rigid.
The sun had turned off. One moment it was shining down. Then
it was gone. Ed looked sharply up. Gray clouds moved above him. Huge, formless clouds.
Nothing more. A dark, thick fog that made everything shadowy and dim. He began to feel cold and uneasy.
What was it?
He moved forward cautiously, feeling his way through the mist. Everything was silent. No
sounds—not even the traffic sounds. Ed looked fearfully around, trying to see
through the moving haze. No people. No cars. No sun. Nothing.
The office building was up ahead, looking like a ghost. It
was a misty and gray. He put out his hand uncertainly—
A section of the building fell away. It fell down, a mass of
particles. Like sand. Ed was
shocked. A mass of gray, dropping around his feet. And where he had touched the
building, a sharp space was all that was left—an ugly hole in the concrete.
Shocked, he walked to the front steps of the building. He
started to walk up the steps. The steps started to fall apart under his feet. His
feet sank down. He was moving through sand, weak, old stuff that broke under
his weight.
He got into the lobby.
The lobby was dark and dim. The overhead lights blinked weakly in the dimness.
He saw the cigar stand. The seller stood silently, resting
on the counter, his face blank and gray. He was gray all over.
"Hey," Ed said. "What's going on?"
The seller did not answer. Ed reached out toward him. His
hand touched the seller's gray arm—and passed right through.
"My God!," Ed said.
The seller's arm fell off of his body. It fell to the floor,
breaking into fragments and disappearing. Bits of gray particles. Like dust.
Ed's was filled with fear and amazement.
"Help!" he shouted, finding his voice.
No answer. He looked around. A few shapes stood here and
there: a man reading a newspaper, two women waiting at the elevator.
Ed walked over to the man. He reached out and touched him.
The man slowly fell apart. He became a pile, a loose pile of gray dust. Particles. The two women also fell
apart when he touched them. Silently. They made no sound as they broke apart.
Ed found the stairs. He grabbed hold of the railing and
climbed. The stairs fell under him. He hurried faster. Behind him was a broken
path—his footprints clearly visible in the concrete. Clouds of ash blew around him as he reached the
second floor.
He looked down the silent hallway. He saw more clouds of
ash. He heard no sound. There was just darkness—slowly moving darkness.
He climbed unsteadily to the third floor. Once, his shoe
broke completely through the stair. For a scary second he hung over a big hole
that looked down into a bottomless nothing.
Then he climbed on, and arrived in front of his own office:
DOUGLAS AND BLAKE, REAL ESTATE.
The hall was dim with clouds of ash. The overhead lights
blinked quickly. He tried to open the door, and pieces of the door fell apart
in his hand. He dropped the pieces, and put his hand into the door. The glass
broke around and dropped into small gray pieces. He broke the door open and
stepped over it, into the office.
Miss Evans sat at her desk. She did not move. She was gray,
her hair, her skin, her clothing. She was without color. Ed touched her. His
fingers went through her shoulder.
He stepped back, sickened. Miss Evans did not move.
He moved on. He pushed against a desk. The desk broke into
dust. Earl Hendricks stood by the water cooler, a cup in his hand. He was a
gray statue, unmoving. Nothing moved. No sound. No life. The whole office was
gray dust—without life or motion.
Ed walked out into the hallway again. He shook his head,
totally confused. What did it mean? Was he going out of his mind? Was he—?
A sound.
Ed turned, and looked into the gray mist. Something was
coming, hurrying rapidly. A man—a man in a white robe. Behind him others came.
Men in white, with equipment. They were carrying complex machinery.
"Hey—" Ed said weakly.
The men stopped. Their mouths opened. Their eyes showed
great surprise.
"Look!"
"Something's gone wrong!"
"One still charged."
"Get the de-energizer."
"We can't continue until—"
The men came toward Ed, moving around him. One carried a
long piece of equipment. A cart came up. They shouted instructions rapidly.
Ed broke out of his frozen shock. He was full of fear.
Panic. Something horrible was happening. He had to get out. Warn people. Get
away.
He turned and ran back down the stairs. The stairs fell under
him. He fell half a floor onto a pile of dry ash. He got up and hurried on,
down to the ground floor.
The lobby was lost in the clouds of gray ash. He pushed
blindly through, toward the door. Behind him, the men in white were coming,
dragging their equipment and shouting to each other, hurrying quickly after
him.
He reached the sidewalk. Behind him the office seemed to
sink slowly, sinking to one side, clouds of ash raining down in piles. He raced
toward the corner, the men just behind him. Gray clouds moved around him. He
made his way across the street, hands in front of him. He stepped to the
opposite curb—
The sun turned on. Warm yellow sunlight fell down on him.
Cars honked. Traffic lights changed. On all sides men and women in bright
spring clothes hurried and pushed: shoppers, cop in a blue uniform, salesmen
with briefcases. Stores, windows, signs ... noisy cars moving up and down the
street ...
And overhead was the bright sun and familiar blue sky.
Ed stopped. He was tired from running. He turned and looked
back from where he had come. Across the street was the office building—as it had
always been. Firm and solid. Concrete
and glass and steel.
He stepped back and crashed into a hurrying person.
"Hey," the man said. "Watch out."
"Sorry." Ed shook his head, trying to clear it.
From where he stood, the office building looked like it had always, big and
serious and firm, rising up impressively on the other side of the street.
But a minute ago—
Maybe he was out of his mind. He had seen the building
falling into dust. Building—and people. They had fallen into gray clouds of
dust. And the men in white—they had chased him. Men in white robes, shouting
orders, carrying complex equipment.
He was out of his mind. There was no other explanation.
Weakly, Ed turned and walked along the sidewalk, his mind in a panic. He moved
blindly, without purpose, lost in confusion and terror.
The Clerk was brought into the top-level administrative room
and told to wait.
He walked back and forth nervously, holding his hands in a
nervous way. He took off his glasses and cleaned them shakily.
My God! All the trouble. And it wasn't his fault. But he would have to take the
blame. It was his responsibility to get the instructions followed. The
miserable dog had gone back to sleep—and he would have to answer for it.
The doors opened. "All right," a voice said
quietly. It was a tired, old voice. The Clerk nervously entered slowly.
The Old Man looked up, put his book aside. He studied the
Clerk calmly, his blue eyes mild—a deep, ancient mildness that made the Clerk
even more nervous.
"I understand there was a mistake," the Old Man
said. "In connection with Sector T137. Something to do with an element
from a connecting area."
"That's right." The Clerk's voice was weak and
low. "Very unfortunate."
"What exactly occurred?"
"I started out this morning with my instructions. The
material about T137 had top priority, of course. I told the Caller in my area
that an eight-fifteen call was required."
"Did the Caller understand the urgency?"
"Yes, sir." The Clerk stopped. "But—"
"But what?"
The Clerk looked sick. "While my back was turned the
Caller went back in his shed and went to sleep. I was busy, checking the exact time
with my watch. I called at the moment—but there was no reply."
"You called at eight-fifteen exactly?"
"Yes, sir! Exactly eight-fifteen. But the Caller was
asleep. By the time I managed to wake him it was eight-sixteen. He called, but
instead of A Friend with a Car we got a—A Life Insurance Salesman." The
Clerk's face was filled with anger. " The Salesman kept the element there
until almost nine-thirty. Therefore he was late to work instead of early."
For a moment the Old Man was silent. "Then the element
was not in T137 when the adjustment began."
"No. He arrived about ten o'clock."
"During the middle of the adjustment." The Old Man
got to his feet and walked slowly back and forth, face serious, hands behind
his back. His long robe out behind him. "A serious matter. During a Sector
Adjustment all related elements from other Sectors must be included. Otherwise,
the adjustment will not succeed. When this element entered T137 the adjustment
had been in progress fifty minutes. The element entered the Sector at its most
de-energized stage. He was there until one of the adjustment teams met
him."
"Did they catch him?"
"Unfortunately no. He ran away, out of the Sector. Into
a nearby fully energized area."
"What—what then?"
The Old Man stopped walking, his face serious. He moved a
heavy hand through his long white hair. "We do not know. We lost contact
with him. We will make contact again soon, of course. But for the moment he is
out of control."
"What are you going to do?"
"He must be contacted and caught. He must be brought up
here. There's no other solution."
"Up here!"
"It is too late to de-energize him. By the time he is
re-energized he will have told others. To remove his memories would only
complicate matters. Usual methods will not suffice. I must deal with this
problem myself."
"I hope he's located quickly," the Clerk said.
"He will be. Every Watcher is alerted. Every Watcher
and every Caller." The Old Man's eyes shinned. "Even the Clerks,
although we can’t always depend on them."
The Clerk looked down. "I'll be glad when this thing is
over," he said lowly.
Ruth came down the stairs and out of the building, into the
hot afternoon sun. She lit a cigarette and hurried along the walk, enjoying the
spring air.
"Ruth." Ed walked up behind her.
"Ed!" She turned, surprised. "What are you
doing away from work?"
"Come on." Ed grabbed her arm, pulling her.
"Let's keep moving."
"But what happened?"
"I'll tell you later." Ed's face was pale and
serious. "Let's go where we can talk. In private."
"I was going down to have lunch at Louie's Cafe. We can
talk there." Ruth hurried along breathlessly. "What is it? What's
happened? You look so strange. And why aren't you at work? Did you—did you get fired?"
They crossed the street and entered a small restaurant. Men
and women were at the tables, getting their lunch. Ed found a table in the
back, in a corner away from the other tables. "Here." He sat down
quickly. "This will do." She moved into the other chair.
Ed ordered a cup of coffee. Ruth had salad and creamed tuna
on toast, coffee and apple pie. Silently, Ed watched her as she ate, his face
dark and nervous.
"Please tell me," Ruth said.
"You really want to know?"
"Of course I want to know!" Ruth put her small
hand nervously on his. "I'm your wife."
"Something happened today. This morning. I was late to
work. An insurance man came by and kept me from leaving. I was half an hour
late."
Ruth caught her breath. "Douglas fired you."
"No." Ed broke a paper napkin slowly into bits. He
put the bits in the half-empty water glass. "I was worried as hell. I got
off the bus and hurried down the street. I noticed it when I stepped up on the
curb in front of the office."
"Noticed what?"
Ed told her the whole story. Everything.
When he had finished, Ruth sat back, her face white, hands
shaking. "I see," she whispered. "No wonder you're upset."
She drank a little cold coffee, the cup shaking against the dish. "What a
terrible thing."
Ed moved closely toward his wife. "Ruth. Do you think
I'm going crazy?"
Ruth's red lips moved "I don't know what to say. It's
so strange..."
"Yeah. Strange is hardly the word for it. I put my
hands right through them. Like they were dust. Old dry dust. Dust. Dust
figures." Ed lit a cigarette from Ruth's pack. "When I got out I
looked back and there it was. The office building. Normal again, like
always."
"You were afraid Mr. Douglas would yell at you, weren't
you?"
"Sure. I was afraid—and guilty. I know what you're thinking. I was late and I couldn't face
him. So I went crazy. Ran from reality." He stopped smoking his cigarette.
"Ruth, I've been walking around town since then for two and a half hours.
Sure, I'm afraid. I'm afraid like hell to go back."
"Of Douglas?"
"No! The men in white." Ed shook. "God.
Coming after me. With their damn equipment."
Ruth was silent. Finally she looked up at her husband, her
dark eyes bright. "You have to go back, Ed."
"Back? Why?"
"To prove something."
"Prove what?"
"Prove it's all right." Ruth's hand hold his.
"You have to, Ed. You have to go back and face it. To show yourself
there's nothing to be afraid of."
"The hell with it! After what I saw? Listen, Ruth. I
saw the material of reality break open. I saw—behind. Underneath. I saw what
was really there. And I don't want to go back. I don't want to see dust people ever
again."
Ruth's eyes were looking closely at him. "I'll go back
with you," she said.
"For God's sake."
"For your sake. For your sanity. So you'll know." Ruth got quickly to her feet, putting
on her coat. "Come on, Ed. I'll go with you. We'll go up there together.
To the office of Douglas and Blake, Real Estate. I'll even go in with you to
see Mr. Douglas."
Ed got up slowly, looking hard at his wife. "You think
I got scared. Couldn't face the boss." His voice was low and nervous.
"Don't you?"
Ruth was already getting ready to pay. "Come on. You'll
see. It'll all be there. Just like it always was."
"Okay," Ed said. He followed her slowly.
"We'll go back there—and see which of us is right."
They crossed the street together, Ruth holding on tight to
Ed's arm. Ahead of them was the building, the tall structure of concrete and
metal and glass.
"There it is," Ruth said. "See?"
There it was, all right. The big building rose up, firm and
solid, shining in the early afternoon sun.
Ed and Ruth stepped up onto the curb. Ed was nervous, his
body stressed. He felt scared as his foot touched the side walk—
But nothing happened: the street noises continued; cars,
people hurrying past; a kid selling papers. There were sounds, smells, the
noises of the city in the middle of the day. And overhead was the sun and the
bright blue sky.
"See?" Ruth said. "I was right."
They walked up the front steps, into the lobby. Behind the
cigarette stand the seller stood, listening to the baseball game. "Hi, Mr.
Fletcher," he called to Ed. His face lit up happily. "Who's the girl?
Your wife knows about this?"
Ed laughed uneasily. They passed on toward the elevator.
Four or five businessmen stood waiting. They were middle-aged men, well dressed,
waiting impatiently in a group. "Hey, Fletcher," one said.
"Where you been all day? Douglas is yelling like crazy."
"Hello, Earl," Ed said quietly. He held Ruth's
arm. "I’ve been a little sick."
The elevator came. They got in. The elevator rose.
The elevator let them off at the third floor. Ed and Ruth
got out, heading toward the glass door of Douglas and Blake, Real Estate.
Ed halted, breathing quickly. "Wait. I—"
Ruth waited calmly as Ed removed the sweat from his head and
neck with his handkerchief. "All right now?"
"Yeah." Ed moved forward. He pulled open the glass
door.
Miss Evans looked up, stopping her working "Ed
Fletcher! Where on earth have you been?"
"I've been sick. Hello, Tom."
Tom looked up from his work. "Hi, Ed. Douglas is
yelling for your head. Where have you been?"
"I know." Ed turned tiredly to Ruth. "I guess
I better go in and face him."
Ruth held his arm. "You'll be all right. I know."
She smiled, a comforting flash of white teeth and red lips. "Okay? Call me
if you need me."
"Sure." Ed kissed her briefly on the mouth.
"Thanks, honey. Thanks a lot. I don't know what the hell went wrong with
me. I guess it's over."
"Forget it. See you later." Ruth walked back out
of the office, the door closing after her. Ed listened to her race down the hall to the elevator.
"Nice little girl," Jackie said.
"Yeah." Ed said, straightening his tie. He moved
unhappily toward the inner office, getting himself ready. Well, he had to face
it. Ruth was right. But he was going to have a hard time explaining it to the
boss. He could see Douglas now, the thick red face filled with anger—
Ed stopped sharply at the entrance to the inner office. He
froze. The inner office—it was changed.
Cold fear filled his body. The inner office was different. He
turned his head slowly, looking at the sight: the desks, chairs, lights,
pictures.
Changes. Little changes. Very small changes. Ed closed his
eyes and opened them slowly. He was alert,
breathing rapidly. It was changed,
all right. No doubt about it.
"What's the matter, Ed?" Tom asked. His coworkers
watched him curiously, stopping in
their work.
Ed said nothing. He moved slowly into the inner office. The
office was definitely different than before. He knew it. Things had been
altered. Rearranged. Nothing obvious—nothing he could say exactly.
But he knew it.
Joe Kent asked him
uneasily. "What's the matter, Ed? You look like a wild dog. Is
something—?"
Ed studied Joe. He was different. Not the same. What was it?
Joe's face. It was a little fuller. His shirt was different.
Joe never wore shirts like that. Ed examined Joe's desk. He saw papers and
documents. The desk—it was too far to the right. And it was bigger. It wasn't
the same desk.
The picture on the wall. It wasn't the same. It was a
totally different picture.
He looked back through the door. Now that he thought about
it, Miss Evans' hair was different. And
it was lighter.
In here, Mary, over by the window—she was taller, fuller. Her
bag, lying on the desk in front of her—a red bag.
"You always...have that bag?" Ed asked.
Mary looked up. "What?"
"That bag. You always have that?"
Mary laughed. She touched the dress around her legs, her
eyes bright and playful, "Why, Mr. Fletcher. What do you mean?"
Ed turned away. He knew. Even if she didn't. She had been
redone—changed: her bag, her clothes, her figure, everything about her. None of
them knew—but him. His mind was nervous. They were all changed. All of them
were different. They had all been remade. In small ways—but it was there.
Endless, small changes.
Ed went back to the inner office. He lifted his hand and
knocked on Douglas' door.
"Come in."
Ed pushed the door open. Nathan Douglas looked up
impatiently. "Mr. Douglas—" Ed began. He came into the room unstably—and
stopped.
Douglas was not the same. Not at all. His whole office was
changed: the rugs, the window. The desk was a different kind of wood. And
Douglas himself...
Douglas was younger, thinner. His hair, brown. His skin not
so red. His face smoother. No wrinkles. Chin reshaped. Eyes green,
not black. He was a different man. But still Douglas—a different Douglas. A
different version!
"What is it?" Douglas asked impatiently. "Oh,
it's you, Fletcher. Where were you this morning?"
Ed left the room. Fast.
He shut the door and hurried back through the inner office.
Tom and Miss Evans looked up, surprised. Ed passed by them, and opened the hall
door.
"Hey!" Tom called. "What—?"
Ed hurried down the hall. Terror filled him. He had to
hurry. He had seen. There wasn't much time. He came to the elevator and hit the
button.
No time.
He ran to the stairs and started to go down. He reached the
second floor. His terror grew. It was a matter of seconds.
Seconds!
The public phone. Ed ran into the phone booth. He pulled the door shut after him. Wildly, he dropped
a coin in the slot and dialed. He
had to call the police. He held the phone to his ear, his heart racing.
Warn them. Changes. Somebody altering reality. He had been
right. The men in white...their equipment...going through the building.
"Hello!" Ed shouted. There was no answer. No
sound. Nothing.
Ed looked wildly out the door.
And his shoulders dropped, beaten. Slowly, he hung up the telephone.
He was no longer on the second floor. The phone booth was
rising, leaving the second floor behind, carrying him up, faster and faster. It
rose floor by floor, moving silently, swiftly.
The phone booth passed through the ceiling of the building
and out into the bright sunlight. It gained speed. The ground fell away below.
Buildings and streets were getting smaller each moment. Tiny objects hurried
along, far below, cars and people, decreasing in size rapidly.
Clouds moved slowly between him and the earth. Ed closed his
eyes, filled with fright. Fearfully, He held on to the door the phone booth.
Faster and faster the phone booth rose. The earth was rapidly
being left behind, far below.
Ed looked up wildly. Where? Where was he going? Where was it
taking him?
He stood held the door tightly the door, waiting.
The Clerk nodded sharply. "That's him, all right. The
element in question."
Ed Fletcher looked around him. He was in a huge room. In
front of him stood a man with notes and notebooks under his arm, looking at him
through glasses. He was a nervous little man, with intelligent eyes, a blue
suit and watch. He wore black shiny shoes.
And beyond him—
An old man sat quietly, in a huge modern chair. He watched
Fletcher calmly, his blue eyes peaceful and tired. Fletcher felt a strange
thrill go through him. It was not fear. Rather it was a feeling going through
his bones—a deep sense of wonder with great interested.
"Where—what is this place?" he asked. He was still
confused from his quick trip from the ground.
"Don't ask questions!" the nervous little man
shouted angrily, hitting his pencil against his notebooks. "You're here to
answer, not ask."
The Old Man moved a little. He raised his hand. "I will
speak to the element alone," he said. His voice was low. It vibrated in a
low sound through the room. Again Ed felt the feeling of interest and wonder.
"Alone?" The little man backed away, gathering his
books and papers in his arms. "Of course." He glanced harshly at Ed
Fletcher. "I'm glad we finally have him. All the work and trouble just
for—"
He left through a door. The door closed softly behind him.
Ed and the Old Man were alone.
"Please sit down," the Old Man said.
Ed found a seat. He sat down nervously. He got out his
cigarettes and then put them away again.
"What's wrong?" the Old Man asked.
"I'm just beginning to understand."
"Understand what?"
"That I'm dead."
The Old Man smiled briefly. "Dead? No, you're not dead.
You're...visiting. An unusual event, but necessary because of the circumstances." He moved toward
Ed. "Mr. Fletcher, you have got yourself involved in something."
"Yeah," Ed agreed. "I wish I knew what it
was. Or how it happened."
"It was not your fault. You're the victim of an error.
A mistake was made, but not by you. But it involved you."
"What mistake?" Ed touched his head tiredly.
"I—I learned about something. I saw through. I saw something I wasn't
supposed to see."
"That's right,” the Old Man said. “You saw something you were not supposed to see—something few elements
have been aware of, let alone seen for themselves."
"Elements?"
"An official term. Let it pass. A mistake was made, but
we hope to correct it. It is my hope that—"
"Those people," Ed interrupted. "Lots of dry
ash. And gray. Like they were dead. Only it was everything: the stairs and
walls and floor. No color or life."
"That Sector had been temporarily de-energized. So the
adjustment team could enter and make changes."
"Changes." Ed moved his head in agreement.
"That's right. When I went back later, everything was alive again. But not
the same. It was all different."
"The adjustment was complete by noon. The team finished
its work and re-energized the Sector."
"I see," Ed said to himself quietly.
"You were supposed to have been in the Sector when the
adjustment began. Because of an error you were not. You came into the Sector
late—during the adjustment itself. You ran away, and when you returned it was
over. You saw what you should not have seen. Instead of seeing it, you should
have been part of the adjustment. Like the others, you should have been changed."
Sweat came out on Ed Fletcher's head. His stomach turned
over. Weakly, he cleared his throat. "I get the picture." His voice
was quiet. A cold feeling moved through him. "I was supposed to be changed
like the others. But I guess something went wrong."
"Something went wrong. An error happened. And now a
serious problem exists. You have seen these things. You know a great deal. And
you are not adjusted to the new configuration."
"Well, I won't tell anybody." Ed said. Cold sweat
on his head. "You can trust me. It’s like I’m changed."
"You have already told someone," the Old Man said
coldly.
"Me?" Ed said, surprised. "Who?"
"Your wife."
The color left Ed’s face, leaving it sickly white.
"That's right. I did."
"Your wife knows." The Old Man said angrily.
"A woman. Of all the things to tell—"
"I didn't know." Ed move back, panic jumped
through him. "But I know now. You can trust me. Consider me changed."
The old blue eyes stared intensely into him, looking far
into him. "And you were going to call the police. You wanted to tell them."
"But I didn't know who was doing the changing."
"Now you know. The natural process must be guided—adjusted
here and there. Corrections must be made. We are fully licensed to make such
corrections. Our adjustment teams perform essential work."
Ed found some courage. "This particular adjustment.
Douglas. The office. What was it for? I'm sure it was some important purpose."
The Old Man moved his hand. Behind him in the shadows a huge
map appeared, and Ed looked at it
with surprise. He saw endless connections of detailed sections, a network of
squares and lines. Each square was marked, and some had a blue light. The
lights turned off and on constantly.
"The Sector Board," the Old Man said with a tired
expression. "A huge job. Sometimes we wonder how we can go on another
period. But it must be done. For the good of all. For your good."
"The change. In our—our Sector."
"Your office deals in real estate. The old Douglas was
a smart man, but rapidly becoming sick. His physical health was getting worse.
In a few days Douglas will be offered a chance to buy a large wild forest area
in western Canada. It will take most of his money. The older, less energetic
Douglas would have been unsure about whether to buy it. It is essential he be
sure. He must buy the area and clear the land quickly. Only a younger man—a
younger Douglas—would do this.
"When the land is cleared, certain anthropological remains will be discovered. They have already been placed there. Douglas will rent
his land to the Canadian Government for scientific study. The remains found
there will cause international excitement in academic circles.
"A chain of events will start. Men from many countries
will come to Canada to examine the remains. Soviet, Polish, and Czech scientists will make the journey.
"The chain of events will draw these scientists
together for the first time in years. National research will be briefly forgotten
in the excitement of these non-national discoveries. One of the leading Soviet
scientists will make friends with a French scientist. Before they depart they
will agree to continue to communicate—without the knowledge of their
governments, of course.
"The circle will get bigger. Other scientists on both
sides will enter. An academic society will be founded. More and more educated
men will transfer an increasing amount of time to this international society.
Purely national research will begin to be less important. The Cold War tensions will go down* (see note below).
"This change is essential. And it depends on whether
Douglass buys and clears the section of forest in Canada. The old Douglas would
not have taken the risk. But the altered Douglas, and his altered, more
youthful staff, will do this work with much enthusiasm. And from this, the
essential chain of spreading events will come about. Those that benefit will
include you. Our methods may seem strange and indirect. Even something that
can’t be understood by you. But I promise you we know what we're doing."
"I know that now," Ed said.
"So you do. You know a great deal. Much too much. No
element should have such knowledge. I should perhaps call an adjustment team in
here..."
A picture formed in Ed's mind: gray clouds, gray men and women. He felt cold.
"Look," he said. "I'll do anything. Anything at all. Only don't
de-energize me." Sweat ran down his face. "Okay?"
The Old Man thought to himself. "Perhaps some
alternative could be found. There is another possibility..."
"What?" Ed asked excitedly. "What is
it?"
The Old Man spoke slowly, thoughtfully. "If I allow you
to return, you will promise never to speak of the matter? Will you promise not
to tell to anyone the things you saw? The things you know?"
"Sure!" Ed shouted excitedly, great happiness
coming over him. "I promise!"
"Your wife. She must know nothing more. She must think
it was only a passing psychological problem—a break from reality."
"She thinks that already."
"She must continue to do so."
Ed said confidently. "I'll see that she continues to think
it was a mental problem. She'll never know what really happened."
"You are certain you can keep the truth from her?"
"Sure," Ed said confidently. "I know I
can."
"All right." The Old Man said slowly. "I will
send you back. But you must tell no one." He then looked serious, and said.
"Remember: you will eventually come back to me—everyone does, in the
end—and your fate will not be enviable if you don’t keep your promise."
"I won't tell her," Ed said, sweating. "I
promise. You have my word on that. I can handle Ruth. Don't give it a second
thought."
Ed arrived home at sunset.
He felt strange after rapidly coming back down to the earth.
For a moment he stood on the sidewalk, getting his balance and catching his
breath. Then he walked quickly up the path.
He pushed the door open and entered the little green house.
"Ed!" Ruth came flying, face filled with tears.
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "Where the hell have you
been?"
"Been?" Ed said quietly. "At the office, of
course."
Ruth pulled back suddenly. "No, you haven't."
Ed felt a little nervous. "Of course I have. Where
else—?"
"I called Douglas about three. He said you left. You
walked out, almost as soon as I left. Eddie—"
Ed hugged her nervously. "Relax, honey." He began
taking off his coat. "Everything's okay. Understand? Things are perfectly
all right."
Ruth sat down on the couch. She cleaned the tears from her eyes.
"If you knew how much I've worried." "I want to know where you
were."
Uneasily, Ed hung his coat in the closet. He came over and
kissed her. Her lips were ice cold. "I'll tell you all about it. But what
do you say we have something to eat? I'm really hungry."
Ruth studied him closely. She got down from the couch.
"I'll change and make dinner."
She hurried into the bedroom and took off her shoes. Ed
followed her. "I didn't want to worry you," he said carefully.
"After you left me today I realized you were right."
"Oh?" Ruth took of her blouse and skirt, putting
them in the closet. "Right about what?"
"About me." He tried make his smile seem real.
"About...what happened."
Ruth studied her husband intently as she put on her tight
jeans. "Go on."
The moment had come. It was now or never. Ed Fletcher stopped
himself and chose his words carefully. "I realized," he stated,
"that the whole darn thing was in my mind. You were right, Ruth.
Completely right. And I even realize what caused it."
Ruth put on her cotton T-shirt. "What was the
cause?"
"Overwork."
"Overwork?"
"I need a vacation. I haven't had a vacation in years.
My mind isn't on my job. I've been dreaming." He said it firmly, but he
was still nervous. "I need to get away. To the mountains, fishing, or—"
He searched his mind wildly. "Or—"
Ruth came toward him. "Ed!" she said sharply.
"Look at me!"
"What's the matter?" Panic shot through him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Where were you this afternoon?"
Ed's stopped smiling. "I told you. I went for a walk.
Didn't I tell you? A walk. To think things over."
"Don't lie to me, Eddie Fletcher! I can tell when you're
lying!" Fresh tears came to Ruth's eyes. Her chest rose and fell excitedly
under her shirt. "Tell the truth! You didn't go for a walk!"
Ed froze. Sweat came off him. He held the door for support.
"What do you mean?"
Ruth's black eyes filled with anger. " I want to know
where you were! Tell me! I have a right to know. What really happened?"
Ed moved back in terror. He was losing confidence. It was
going all wrong. "Honest. I went out for a—"
"Tell me!" Ruth held his arm tightly. "I want
to know where you were—and who you were with!"
Ed opened his mouth. He tried to smile, but his face failed
to respond. "I don't know what you mean."
"You know what I mean. Who were you with? Where did you
go? Tell me! I'll find out, sooner or later."
There was no way out. He was beat—and he knew it. He couldn't
keep it from her. Without hope, he tried to think of what to do, praying for
time. If he could only distract her, get her mind on something else. If she
would only stop for a bit, even for a second. He could think of something—a
better story. Time—he needed more time. "Ruth, you've got to—"
Suddenly there was a sound: the bark of a dog, going through
the dark house.
Ruth let go, listening carefully. "That was the dog. I
think somebody's coming."
The doorbell rang.
"You stay here. I'll be right back." Ruth ran out
of the room, to the front door. She opened the door.
"Good evening!" The young man stepped quickly
inside, carrying many objects, smiling at Ruth. "I'm from the Sweep-Rite
Vacuum Cleaner Company."
Ruth looked at him impatiently. "Really, we're about to
sit down at the table."
"Oh, this will only take a moment." The young man
set down the vacuum cleaner and its attachments with a metal crash. Rapidly, he
took out some pictures, showing the vacuum cleaner in action. "Now, if
you'll just hold this while I start the cleaner—"
"I'll show you this first. Now, if you'll just sit down
I'll demonstrate each of these easy-to-use attachments." His happy voice
rose over the noise of the cleaner. "You'll notice—"
Ed Fletcher sat down on the bed. He reached into his pocket
until he found his cigarettes. Nervously, he lit one and sat down, glad to have
a break.
He looked up to the sky, a look of gratitude on his face. "Thanks," he said softly. "I
think we'll be okay—after all. Thanks a lot."
*This story happens in
the 1950s, during the Cold War, when the
US and other democratic countries were in a conflict with the Soviet Union
(Russia and other communist countries). The Old Man seems to explain that the
discovery in Canada will help to end this conflict, and help human progress.
Vocabulary: To help learners, most
vocabulary that might be unknown for this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in bold is
more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8 to 10
new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try to learn no
more than 8-10 new words a day).
Definitions are written with the help of various sources
including online learner’s dictionaries.
Adjustment: a
small change that improves something or makes it work better.
Sidewalk: A
usually concrete path along the side of a street for people to walk on.
Clerk: a person
whose job is to keep track of records and documents for a business or office.
Hurriedly: happening
or done very quickly or too quickly.
Shed: a small,
simple building that is used especially for storing things.
To adjust: to
change (something) in a minor way so that it works better.
Alteration: the
act, process, or result of changing something.
Precise: very
accurate and exact.
Essential: Extremely
important and necessary.
Rush: to move or
do something very quickly or in a way that shows you have very little time.
Rapid: happening
in a short amount of time: happening quickly.
Hug: to put your
arms around someone especially as a way of showing love or friend.
To shave: to cut
the hair off (someone or something) very close to the skin.
Embarrassed: to
make (someone) feel confused and foolish in front of other people.
Fence: a
structure like a wall built outdoors usually of wood or metal that separates
two areas or prevents people or animals from entering or leaving.
Doorbell: a bell
inside a house or building that is rung usually by pushing a button beside an
outside door.
Bark: the short
loud sound made by dogs and some other animals.
Insurance: an agreement in which a person makes
regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the
person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something
(such as a house or car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen.
Consequence: something
that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions.
Huge: very large:
very great in size, amount, or degree.
Curb: a short
border along the edge of a street that is usually made of stone or concrete.
Dim: not bright
or clear.
Mist: water in
the form of very small drops floating in the air or falling as rain.
Particles: a very
small piece of something.
Lobby: a large
open area inside and near the entrance of a public building (such as a hotel or
theater).
Fragments: A
broken piece of something.
Elevator: a
machine used for carrying people and things to different levels in a building.
Pile: a group of
things that are put one on top of another.
Ash: the soft gray
powder that remains after something (such as a cigarette or wood) has been
completely burned and destroyed by fire.
De-energizer: (A word created by the author of the story) A
piece of equipment to remove the energy of an area, so the adjustment teams can
change reality.
Robe: a long,
loose piece of clothing that is worn on top of other clothes to show that
someone has a high rank or an important job.
Out of his mind: crazy.
Fault: a problem
or bad part that prevents something from being perfect.
Urgency: very
important and needing immediate attention.
To fire: to tell
someone they must leave their job.
Upset: angry or
unhappy.
Guilt: responsibility
for a crime or for doing something bad or wrong.
To face: to deal
with (something bad or unpleasant) in a direct way.
For the sake of: to
say that something is done for a particular purpose or to achieve a particular
goal or result.
Sanity: the
condition of having a health mind; not crazy.
Curious: to have
a strong desire to know something.
Rearrange: to change
the position or order of things; to change your position.
Obvious: easy to
see or understand.
Smooth: completely
flat and even, without any rough areas or holes.
Wrinkle: a line
or small fold in your skin, especially on your face, that forms as you get
older.
Phone booth: a
small place with walls or sides, containing a public phone, in a hotel,
restaurant, in the street, etc.
To dial: to use a
phone by pushing buttons or turning the dial to call a number.
To hang up: to
end a phone conversation by putting down the phone receiver or pressing the
‘end call’ button.
Circumstance: the
conditions and facts that are connected with and affect a situation, an event
or an action.
Involved: taking
part in something; being part of something or connected with something.
Supposed: used to
show that you think that a claim, statement or way of describing
somebody/something is not true or correct, although it is generally believed to
be.
Configuration: an
arrangement of the parts of something or a group of things; the form or shape
that this arrangement produces.
Purpose: the
intention, aim or function of something; the thing that something is supposed
to achieve.
To appear: to
start to be seen.
Anthropological: connected with the study of the human
race, especially its origins, development, customs and beliefs.
Remains: the parts of something that are left after the
other parts have been used, dead, or removed, etc.
To discover: to
be the first person to become aware that a particular place or thing exists.
Soviet: the people of the former USSR.
Tension: a
situation in which people do not trust each other, or feel unfriendly towards
each other, and that may cause them to attack each other.
Overwork: to work too hard.
Gratitude:
feeling or wanting to show thanks.
Questions
Why is the adjustment team changing reality?
How much control do we have over the future of our lives?
Do you ever feel that life could have been different?
What would you do, if you were Ed?
A summary of this story: https://philipkdickreview.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/adjustment-team/
Watch the movie, The Adjustment Bureau, based on this story:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1385826/
What are the similarities and differences between the story and the
movie?
Easier
Halloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It
is most popular in the United States and Canada. Children wear costumes and go
to people's homes saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy, and
people give it to them. The origin of this expressions means: "Give me a
treat or I will play a trick on you."
For Christians it is the eve of All Saints' Day, which
begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide. This covers the three days –
October 31st (All-Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en), November 1st (All Saints) and
November 2st (All Souls). All Hallows' is a Christianized holiday and
originated in Ireland. It also has pagan roots.
Origins
Halloween originated from the ancient peoples, called the
Celts, who lived in Ireland. The pagan holiday Samhain, which the All Saints
holy day replaced, was also known as the Day of the Dead. It is the day that
some believed the souls of dead people come back to Earth. Even though it
celebrates the dead, this is a happy holiday because some of the souls will
visit the homes of their family, and it is a time to remember and honor the
dead. Pope Gregory III originally
designated Halloween on November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All
Saints Day included some of the traditions of Samhain.
After mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th
century, Halloween became a major holiday in America.
The pagan traditions of earlier times evolved into fun and
games. For example, the theme of the dead returning to the Earth was replaced
with stories about ghosts and the supernatural or fortune-telling, telling the
future. Bobbing for apples became popular as a fortune-telling game on All
Hallows' Eve: apples were selected to represent the men who wanted to marry a
women, and the apple she bit into would supposedly represent her future
husband.
Symbols
Symbols connected with Halloween developed with time.
Jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkins with faces cut into them, are traditionally carried
on All Hallows' Eve in order to scare evil spirits. Elements of the fall
season, such as pumpkins, harvest, and scarecrows, are also common. Homes are
often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery
includes themes of death, evil, the supernatural and monsters. Black cats,
which have long been connected with witches, are also a common symbol of
Halloween. Black, and orange are Halloween's traditional colors.
Costumes
During Halloween some people, especially children, wear a
costume. People have worn costumes at Halloween for centuries. Wearing a
costume may come from Celtic festivals like Samhain and the Christian
Allhallowtide.
Early costumes were usually scary. They were often
supernatural beings or from folklore. In the 1930s costumes of characters from
literature, radio, or movies became popular, and such costumes are also popular
today. Scary costumes are still popular.
Games and Other Activities
In addition to trick-or-treating, there are several
traditional activities related to Halloween.
In old times people would try to tell the future, especially
to try to learn who they would marry.
People will make Jack-o-lanterns and place them in front of
their houses.
People will play a game called apple bobbing. In this game
apples are placed in water, and people must try to remove the apples with only
their teeth.
Telling ghost stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs
and watching horror films are common activities on Halloween. TV shows (with
special shows usually for children) are commonly shown on or before Halloween,
and new scary films are often released before Halloween.
Visiting a 'haunted attraction'. These are places like
houses, farms, or forests, which are decorated in a scary way, and where actors
dress in costumes make scenes to scare the visitors.
Decorating one's house and front yard. People will often
decorate the front part of their houses with Halloween-themed symbols like
ghosts, graves, and black and orange colors.
Harder
Halloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It
is most popular in the United States and Canada. It is mainly a children’s
holiday, although these days, people of all ages participate in some of the
traditions. The main tradition is for children to wear costumes and go to
people's homes in the evening saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for
candy, which people then give to them. The origin of the expression means,
"Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you."
For Christians it is the eve of All Saints' Day, which
begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide. This covers the three days –
October 31st (All-Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en), November 1st (All Saints) and
November 2nd (All Souls). All Hallows' is a Christianized holiday and
originated in Ireland. It also has pagan roots.
Origins
Halloween originated from the ancient peoples, called the
Celts, who lived in Ireland. The pagan holiday Samhain, which the All Saints
holy day replaced, was also known as the Day of the Dead. It is the day when
the souls of dead people come back to Earth. This is considered a happy holiday
because some of the souls will visit the homes of their family, and it is a
time to remember and honor the dead. When Christianity replaced paganism many
of the pagan traditions were incorporated into Christian holidays. Pope Gregory III originally designated
Halloween on November 1st as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day
incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.
After mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th
century, Halloween became a major holiday in America.
The pagan traditions of earlier times evolved into fun and
games. For example, the theme of the dead returning to the world of the living
was replaced with stories about ghosts and the supernatural or fortune-telling,
telling the future. Bobbing for apples became popular as a fortune-telling game
on All Hallows' Eve: apples would be selected to represent a woman's suitors,
and the apple she ended up biting into would supposedly represent her future
husband.
Symbols
Most of the symbols of Halloween come from the evolution of
the holiday through history. Jack-o'-lanterns were traditionally carried on All
Hallows' Eve in order to scare evil spirits. Elements of the fall season, such
as pumpkins, harvest, and scarecrows, are also common. Homes are often
decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery
includes themes of death, evil, the supernatural and monsters. Black cats,
which have long been connected with witches, are also a common symbol of
Halloween. Black, and orange are Halloween's traditional colors.
Costumes
During Halloween some people, especially children, wear a
costume. People have worn costumes at Halloween for centuries. Wearing a
costume may come from Celtic festivals like Samhain and the Christian
Allhallowtide.
Early costumes were usually scary. They were often
supernatural beings like ghosts or witches. In the 1930s costumes of characters
from literature, radio, or movies became popular, and such costumes are also
popular today. Scary costumes are still popular.
Games and Other Activities
In addition to trick-or-treating, there are several
traditional activities connected with Halloween.
In old times people would try to tell the future, especially
to try to learn who they would marry.
People will make Jack-o-lanterns and place them in front of
their houses.
People will play a game called apple bobbing. In this game
apples are placed in water, and people must try to remove the apples with only
their teeth.
Telling ghost stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs
and watching horror films are common activities on Halloween. TV shows (with
special shows usually for children) are commonly shown on or before Halloween,
and new scary films are often released before Halloween.
Visiting a 'haunted attraction'. These are places like
houses, farms, or forests, which are decorated in a scary way, and where actors
dressed in costumes make scenes to scare the visitors.
Decorating one's house and front yard. People will often
decorate the front part of their houses with Halloween-themed symbols like
ghosts, graves, and black and orange colors.
--Written with the help of https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
Vocabulary:
Celebration: a party or other special event that you have for an important occasion, holiday, etc.
Ghost: the spirit of a dead person that a living person believes they can see or hear.
Witch: a woman who is believed to have magic powers, often to do evil things. In some stories, she usually wears a black hat and flies on a broomstick.
Christian: a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, the man who Christians believe is the son of God and whose life, death, and resurrection as reported in the New Testament of the Bible are the basis of the Christian religion.
Eve: the evening or the day before a special day or important event.
Saint: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy (close to God) because of the way he or she lived.
Soul: the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever.
Pagan: a person who worships many gods or goddesses or the earth or nature : a person whose religion is paganism.
Ancient: very old : having lived or existed for a very long time.
Designated: to officially choose (someone or something) to do or be something : to officially give (someone or something) a particular role or purpose.
Spirit: a ghost or nonphysical, supernatural being.
Jack-o'-lantern: a pumpkin that has had its insides removed and a face cut into it for Halloween. You put a candle in a jack-o'-lantern so that light shines out through its eyes, nose, and mouth.
Pumpkin: a large, round, orange vegetable used as food and sometimes as a decoration.
Harvest: the season when the plants, which have grown on a farm, are gathered from the field.
Scarecrow: an object that looks like a person and that is placed in a field to scare birds away from the plants.
Supernatural: unable to be explained by science or the laws of nature : of, relating to, or seeming to come from magic, a god, etc.
Folklore: traditional customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings; ideas or stories that are not true but that many people have heard or read.
Haunted: lived in or visited by ghosts.
Decorated: to make (something) more attractive usually by putting something on it.
Front yard: the outdoor area in front of a house, usually covered by grass.
Additional Vocabulary:
scary, costume, frightening, fearful, terrible, eve, terrify treat, trick, decorate, haunted, carve, ghost, demon, devil, skeleton, witch, hallow, haunted, decorations, horror, pagan, saint, soul, supernatural, weird pumpkin, jack-o’-lantern, lantern, harvest, scarecrow, uncanny, gore, spooky, broomstick, cobweb, coffin, crypt, to dress up, face paint, fang, cemetery, grave, gravestone, tomb, zombie, werewolf, ghoul, goblin, mummy, nasty, nightmare, prank, mischief, mischievous, repulsive, scream, skull, specter, spirit, superstitious, wand, wicked, howl, curse, monstrosity, abomination, eerie, fairy, goosebumps, cackleConversation Questions
What do you know about Halloween?
What do you think about when you hear the word ‘Halloween”
Read the text about Halloween at the begin of this post (above) or at: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween . What did you learn from the article?
What day of the month is Halloween?
Why is Halloween celebrated?
Can you explain the history of Halloween?
How is Halloween celebrated in your country?
Are there any holidays or festivals in your culture where
people dress in costumes or get treats?
What costume would you wear (as a kid; as an adult)?
If you had celebrated Halloween as a kid, what kind of
costume would you have worn?
What are some of the symbols of Halloween?
What kind of costume are you going to wear to the Halloween
party?
What Halloween stories/scary stories do you know/like?
Do you know any ghost stories?
Do you have any favorite stories about ghosts, horror or the
supernatural?
Do you know any supernatural or weird stories?
Do you believe in ghosts or other supernatural things?
How about magic or witches?
Did you know there were real 'witch trials' in the
seventeenth century?
Why do you think they happened?
Do you think there are really witches and monsters and
creatures living amongst us in the real world, or are those things just from
our imagination?
If you could use a magical spell, like a love spell, on
somebody, would you?
Have you ever been to a ‘haunted attraction’ like a haunted house?
Do you believe some places are really haunted?
Have you ever made a jack o lantern?
Is your pumpkin still out?
What’s your favorite type of candy?
Do you get a lot of trick-or-treaters?
Why do you like to celebrate Halloween?
What other countries celebrate Halloween?
Can you describe the best costume you've seen?
Are you going to have a Halloween party?
Would you go out and trick or treat? Who would you go with?
Do you know any Halloween legends?
Do you think Halloween is dangerous?
Do you know about mischief
night?
What do you know about the history of the holiday?
Do you think it is appropriate to celebrate it still today?
Have you ever been to a haunted house/attractive ?
Have you ever decorated your house for Halloween?
What are your plans for Halloween?
Scary stories about ghosts, horror and the supernatural
On Halloween, stories about the ghosts, horror and the supernatural are common. There are many books, short stories, and movies on this subject. Many of these stories are from folklore or legends. Can you think of any of these stories? Do you have any favorites?
One of the shortest horror stories ever was written in 1948, by Frederic Brown. It has only two sentences:
"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door ..."
Can you write a scary, short story with only two sentences?
Halloween-themed stories and movies:
Pre-intermediate to intermediate
VOA stories
Some of the following stories from Voice of America's American Stories collection:
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-washington-irving/3579369.html
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-black-cat-edgar-allen-poe/3714772.html
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-tell-tale-heat-edgar-allan-poe/3538402.html
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/william-wilson-part-one-edgar-allan-poe/3757653.html
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-horsemen-in-the-sky-ambrose-bierce/3467333.html
Upper Intermediate to advanced
https://americanliterature.com/halloween
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/632779706/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories
Top ten lists of best Halloween movies at IMDB and Time Out
Additional resources:
Halloween entry at Simple English Wikipedia
ESL Vid: The history of Halloween (in a Dracula accent): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtKWkI5dGo0
VOA stories and other stories https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/halloween-big-kids-business/2502412.html
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/halloween-big-kids-business/2502412.html
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
History of Halloween: Nat. Geo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VRAemIvbI
https://www.npr.org/2015/10/31/453286481/trick-or-treating-with-princesses-superheroes-and-the-pope
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/26/560090482/watch-out-this-halloween-horror-is-back
How Scary Movies Stoke Fear: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15807232
Vid: Pumpkins facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qmmN8NawQ
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049379072/the-dance-of-the-dead (51 mins and no transcript)
https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_margee_kerr_why_do_we_like_to_be_scared
Many of my students who come to live in the US have
difficulty learning the American way to measure temperature, the Fahrenheit (F)
scale. On the other hand, when Americans go abroad, it can be hard to
understand the Celsius scale (maybe one day the US will adopt this scale too,
but unfortunately, not anytime soon). While
electronic devices like phones and computers have made conversion between these
two scales less of a problem, it can still be useful to have a method to do it
quickly and easily without the aid of tech. I’ve developed such a method for
myself, which I’ve shared here in case others find it helpful.
Unfortunately, the mathematical conversion is not easy
unless you're really good at math, and even then, it takes some time. To do the
conversion you first add or subtract 32, and then multiply by 1.8 (0°C × 9/5 or
1.8 + 32 = 32°F). Another simple way is just to round up to 2.0, but this
doesn't give you as accurate a number and still takes longer.
In order to make this process easier, I use a simple trick
to do the conversion for the most common temperatures, from 0 C (32 F) to 40 C
(104 F). From 0 to about 20 C, every 5 degrees is about a 10 degree difference
in F. For example, 0 C is about 30 F (it’s
exactly 32 F), 5 is about 40 (41), and we can do this up to 20, which is 70 (68).
After 20 C, it’s no longer the same pattern. However, I memorize the final four
5 degree differences: 25 (77), 30 (85) 35 (95) and 40 (104), which isn’t that
difficult.
It's not a perfect system, but if you just take a little time to learn it, it can make the conversions much easier, and help you eventually learn them better.
Here is the simple conversion scale:
0 C: approximately 30 degrees F (exactly 32 degrees F)
5: 40 (41)
10: 50 (50)
15: 60 (59)
20: 70 (68)
25: 80 (77)
30: 85 (86)
35: 95 (95)
40: 105 (104)
Audio
Time: 4 min 57 sec
Level:
Upper-intermediate
Vocabulary: To help learners fully understand the audio
and transcript, most vocabulary that might be unknown for this lesson’s level is
provided. Vocab in bold
is more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8
to 10 new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try to learn
no more than 8-10 new words a day).
Definitions
are written with the help of various sources including Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary
Yeast: a type of
fungus that is used in making alcoholic drinks (such as beer and wine) and in
baking to help make dough rise.
Hormone: a natural
substance that is produced in the body and that influences the way the body
grows or develops.
Notable: 1. unusual
and worth noticing; remarkable. 2. Very successful or respected.
Pump:
1. a
device that forces liquid, air, or gas into or out of something. 2. The act of
pumping something.
Poll: an
activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of
questions in order to get information about what most people think about
something
Poll-taker:
Someone
who conducts a poll.
Tension: a feeling
of nervousness that makes you unable to relax.
Friction:
1. Disagreement
or tension between people or groups of people. 2. the act of rubbing one thing
against another; the force that causes a moving object to slow down when it is
touching another object.
Short run:
a
short period of time.
Grind: to crush
or break (something) into very small pieces by rubbing it against a rough
surface or using a special machine.
Grind on:
to
continue for a long time — used to describe something unpleasant
Tolerate:
1.
to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done.
2. to experience (something harmful or unpleasant) without being harmed.
Chirp: to
make a short high-pitched sound.
Forebears:
A member of your family in the past; ancestor.
Infectious:
Something
(usually a disease) that can be spread to other people by germs.
Mount up:
to
increase.
Eden: A place
in the creation story of the Bible where God made the first people, Adam and
Eve.
Malleable:
capable
of being stretched or bent into different shapes; capable of being easily
changed or influenced.
Irretrievable:
impossible to recover or get back.
Fine-tuned: Small changes that have been made to something to
improve the way it works or make it exactly right.
All the conditions of the experiment had to be fined-tuned to
get the proper result.
It was a fine-tuned watch, which always gave the exact time.
Circumstance:
a
condition or fact that affects a situation; the way something happens; the
specific details of an event
Inevitable: Something
that will definitely happen.
Discussion
questions:
1. What’s the difference between healthy and unhealthy stress
according to the story?
2. Do you have enough healthy stress in your life?
3. Do you have too much unhealthy stress in your life?
4. What can we do to cope with unhealthy stress in our lives?
5. What kinds of challenges in our life can give us healthy
stress?
